The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1887-12-02
SUPERSTITION.
The Belief in Signs Common to
Many People.
Some Old-Time Omens and
What They Indicate.


and it may be safely said that there is
not one in q hundred who has the force
Of character ana strength OF mind to
unburden himself Of all such foolish no
tions. Among gamblers superstition
forms as much part of a professionals
education as learning to deal cards, and
until he has all the innumerable super
stitions which prey upon the minds of
his class at his fingers tips he cannot
expect to rank as a real gam"
Actors, too, are the most superstitious
people on the face of the globe In no
company will the smanager permit the
tag or end of the play to be spoken
during the preliminary rehearsal, and if,
on the night of the first appearance an
actor of the company or an attachc Of
the theatre happens to look out front to
''size up" the house before the curtain
is rung up, he or she is in for a long
squabble with the manager or his assis-
tant. In less intelligent companies this
breach of "etiquette" would cost the
offender a good part Of the salary that
might be due him.
Housewives have as many supersti-
tions as gamblers, even more, and some
of them are really laughable. In the
country, if the back door happens to be
open and rooster crows near it, the in
dustrious housewife who may be in the
kitchen securing her knives, will drop
them in a hurry and run and get on her
clean 'duds.' She considers it sure
sign that a stranger is coming. But
should that rooster turn his back on the
open doorway and 90 off growing his
action will send a cold chill meandering
up and down the spinal column of the
housewife, for then she knows ''for GER
tain there'Il be death in the family.
Bad luck, too, viii come if she
sweeps dirt into her yard. 1t must be
taken up in the house and burned in the
stove. This superstition should be cul-
tivatcd.
Other superstitions of the same char
acter-such as sweeping with broom at
night time or dumping crumbs in the
yard-deserve universal commentator.
But just let hen crow in the yard Of
some old, way-bacl farmer. 1t will
cause considerable commotion in the
family. From the infrcquency of this
occurrence ;he belief in the minds of
many people that it foreteIls death is
ineradicable. There are many other su-
perstltions that are not common to any
particular class, but find believers in all
ranks and every condition of life.
Thus, the familiar verses
If you love me as I love you,
No knife can cut our love in two
must have been founded on the old-time
belief that to present a knife to any per-
son, and especially if he or she was
loved by the donor, would bring bad
luck, and in the case of lovers separa-
ton.
death ticks and the sound as Of
bells ringing in a house are cousins ger
man of the Irish "banshce," and the
same direful consequences that are sup
posed to attend the appearance of the
latter will result in the former instance.
A superstition which finds believers
among really intelIigcnt people is that
of the "howIing dog" If dog howls
or moans in front of your house at
night, to many people it is sure fore
runner of sickness or death in the
family. The writer knows of two in
stances where the moaning of a dog at
night in front of house was followed
bv death-that of the dog.
When the time approaches for the
new moon to appear above the horizon
young men and girls who are love
stricken will hail it with feelings Of
mingled hope and fear. If by any mis-
chance they should first see the new
moon by locking ovcrtheir left shoulder,
then cood-bv to all hopes Of a successful
issue of their affairs during the life of
that moon.
All are familiar with the lines: ''See
the new moon through the glass. the
sion of trouble while it lasts" Should
the reader ever happen to leave home